Investigative & cell pathology最新文献

A histological mapping procedure was used to study 32 stomachs bearing small cancers and 23 stomachs bearing ulcers. Over 80 per cent of gastric cancers and peptic ulcers occurred within 2 cm of both a mucosal junction and the lesser curvature. They showed slight differences in their longitudinal relationship to the pyloric junction. There were differential characteristics between the groups of cancers arising at each of the three mucosal junctions. Cancers at the pylorus and cardia were more common in males (M:F--2.6:1) and were predominantly well differentiated, whereas those from the intermediate zone were more common in females (M:F--1:1.8) with a relatively higher proportion of undifferentiated cancers. These and other features suggest that gastric cancers should be subdivided according to the junction of origin.

A hypernephroma removed from a male patient who had lost 30 kg in weight in the two months preceding surgery was grown as a non-metastasizing transplantable xenograft in immune-suppressed mice. The tumour produced a considerable weight loss (greater than 25 per cent) in the mice at a stage when it comprised less than 5 per cent of the total body weight. A slight fall in food intake of the tumour-bearing mice was noted, but animals bearing other non-cachectic mouse and human tumours had much lower food intakes without accompanying weight loss. No obvious defects in gastrointestinal absorption were detected nor was any gross increase in basal metabolic rate observed. The precise mechanism producing the severe cachexia remains to be established, but elaboration of humoral factors by the tumour seems probable. This model of cachexia bears a closer relation to the clinical situation than do other experimental animal tumour models currently available.

A simple reproducible and reliable schedule for the immunoperoxidase demonstration of various substances in resin embedded sections is described. It has been applied to a variety of epithelial membrane antigens in carcinoma of the colon and to blood group substances. Preliminary work indicates that it may be applicable to most if not all of the antigens which survive conventional paraffin wax embedding.

[We have measured four urinary nucleosides (dimethylguanosine, 1-methylinosine, pseudouridine and beta-aminoisobutyric acid)in patients with benign breast disease and patients with early and advanced breast cancer in order to assess their value as tumour-index-substances. We compared the results with other biochemical indices of breast cancer and sought and correlations between these indices. The results indicate that few abnormalities occurred in patients without overt metastases and these did not predict early relapse. In those with metastatic disease, dimethylguanosine excretion was most frequently elevated. Correlations were observed between some of the nucleosides and lysozyme and alpha1-antirypsin.

Substance P-like immunoreactivity was located in nerves in the lungs of guinea pig, rat, mouse and neonatal pigs. These nerves were regularly observed in association with both airways and blood vessels in all region of the lung. They appeared to be more numerous in the guinea pig than in the other mammals studied and differences in distribution were observed. The finding of substance P-like immunoreactive nerves in the lung suggests the presence of another regulatory system within the mammalian lung.

Glomeruli were isolated from rat kidneys using enzymatic digestion, sieving and differential centrifugation. They were cultured in RPMI medium containing 15 per cent decomplemented fetal bovine serum. Using 3H-thymidine, two peaks of cell division occurred: the first was observed after 2 days in culture and reached its maximum on day 6; the second peak, starting on day 12, reached its maximum on day 22. Two cell types were identified by phase contrast, immunofluorescent and transmission electron microscopy. The first peak contained epithelial cells until day 6, while the second contained smooth muscle-like (mesangial) cells on day 30. The difference in the growth capacity of epithelial and smooth muscle-like cells allows their separate isolation by performing subcultures on day 6 for the former cells and on day 30 for the latter.

Cancer of the human breast is probably a group of diseases which have different causes. Changes in hormonal status that increase breast cancer risk probably do so by 'promoting' tumour development rather than by 'initiating' it. Exogenous oestrogens seem to act as tumour promoters in this context, but there is to date no evidence that oral contraceptives, some of which contain oestrogens in low dosage, increase breast cancer risk. On the contrary, they appear to reduce the incidence of benign breast tumours. Prolactin-release is associated with increased mammary tumour incidence in rats but not in humans. There is no evidence that viruses or exposure to hair-dyes increase breast cancer risk. The fact that slight dietary restriction can dramatically reduce mammary tumour incidence in rats, suggests that dietary factors should be looked at more closely in the search for aetiological factors in man.